In the days before car ownership became commonplace, far fewer people had a Driver's Licence. It was therefore necessary for the Department to keep track of who was authorised to drive Departmental vehicles. With its responsibilities in aerodrome construction and maintenance, the Department also operated a wide range of plant (e.g. heavy trucks, dozers, graders) and it was also necessary to control who was authorised to operate what equipment.

The mechanism for doing this was form C.A.242, an example of which is shown above. This Certificate of Competency was issued to E.J. Brooks, an Essendon-based Senior Radio Technician in October 1951. Note that a current Driver's Licence issued by the appropriate State authority was also required before Departmental vehicles could be driven on the public roads.

(Certificate: CAHS collection)